I just bought a new '07 Cobalt LS (manual of course) about 6 weeks ago. Of all the cars in my price range it was my favorite. I'm a total car n00b. I've done some simple things before like replace window motors and stuff, but never worked under the hood.

What are some things I can do improve its performance? I'm not really looking to up the peak HP, but I'd like to get more power output at lower rpm (as I understand higher HP at low RPM will give you better acceleration, but not really affect top speed, which I'm not concerned with). I know a cold-air intake will improve power output a little. But other than that, all I know of are turbo- and superchargers.

I've seen stuff on ebay, but I don't think I could trust such parts. The dyno plot on this listing shows the kind of effect I'm looking for, but I don't want to take any chances with my new car. (sorry about the long link)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy...WDVWQQtcZphoto

Input and advice would be appreciated. I'm not looking to turn it into a racecar, but it'd be nice to be able to pass people and drive up the steep hills in my neighborhood without downshifting.

So... what's safe and not gonna break the bank? I've got about $1k saved up for a car project. If anything is left-over, I might play with the exhaust, or get a decent-looking spoiler, but that's for another time when I've got more cash. I was gonna blow it on wheels, but I hear bigger rims are gonna make the car sluggish.

 

well a lot of people will say dont bother its an ls but its your car. some quick mods you could do are take out the air silencer, air box mod or intake (air box is cheaper), header and exhaust. given youve 1k to play with you can get all 3 at once if you find good deals. and they are pretty easy to install i might add.
and you can find a lot of good deals from people selling stuff here on the forum.

good luck to you

 

You have the right idea, do your basic intake/exhaust type mods, you'll gain some power througout the rpm range, but it will be stronger at higher revs. There isn't a lot of power to be had on a 2.2 for only 1K, but it all depends what you are looking for as an end result. If you ever plan to go turbo later, you should hold off on the things now that you can't use later. Try to set a specific goal, either in track times or HP levels, and most of the people on here will be glad to help you out.

 

Um please dont get that ^^^^ get a real CAI intake you get what you pay for. Just a couple of suggestions an intake would help and exhaust but my suggestion is maybe get some wheels i dont know what you plans are for the car but wheels are usually a good starter along with tint and springs i know you have a 1,000 bucks but some people have wheels and stuff on here for sale.

But for you hp question i would get a Intake, cat back, header, down pipe w/high flow cat in what ever order you want but i would say intake then cat back exhaust but you can probably get most of it all for 1,000 specially if you find someone on here trying to get rid of theres cheap my advice is dont jump on stuff wait for a good price to come around that is my 2 cents because i aint 50 cent

 

ok...

1. I would never consider buying that leafblower with a 'supercharger' nametag off ebay. If you click the link and scroll down though, there's a dyno plot that shows big gains at lower rpm. I don't expect the device to actually work as advertised, I just thought the image illustrated what I was trying to say.

2. It is unlikely that this car will ever see a track, unless I decide to test its top speed in a safe environment. A few extra HP will help maneuvering in traffic and climbing some of the hills near where I live (some of them are pretty steep and i either have to speed up to around 50mph or downshift to 4th to get up them). The closest thing I do to 'racing' is when merging onto the highway in the middle of the night when no one is around. I'll come to a stop and punch it to see how fast I can get before merging. The northbound onramp is uphill and pretty short, so I can only get up to about 70-75 (speed limit is 70) so I'm not really worried about a getting ticket there. It's a cheap thrill and relatively safe.

3. I really like the appearance of the car off the lot. The only things I don't really like are the wheels and the stock spoiler (I actually bought one without a spoiler). I'd like to replace the wheels with bigger rims & lower aspect tires, but not if it's gonna make it even harder on the car to go up hill.

Thanks for all the input so far. My first order of business will definitely be a CAI. But I know very little about engines, and even less about exhaust.

Can somebody suggest some particular parts and maybe tell me what to look for (i.e. why one make/model part might be more desirable than another)?

I doubt I'll ever add a turbo, but what mods would be incompatible?

 

I owuld help you out more but unfortuanly i have the 2.0 ss/sc models and i dont want to tell you any wrong parts so maybe some one with a LS on this which i know there is can deffently help you just gotta wait for them to log on but good luck with modding and hope you get all the answers you need

 

It'd be sweet to have the ss sc, but I couldn't justify spending that much money with only $15k in the bank. After I finish grad school and get a real job, all bets are off though. I'll probably be driving a lotus or a viper in 2 years. Just wait and see.

 

A set of good parts to look at would be the GM Performance parts intake and exhaust systems. They're good quality, relatively inexpensive, factory fit and approved, and they really work. I think you can go to crateenginedepot.com and get the intake and sport cat-back for about $500-600. Then maybe you can look into more advanced parts like the header and downpipe if you want.

As far as wheels are concerned, you have to be careful because increasing wheel weight will dramatically (and negatively) affect acceleration. So if you do want new wheels, be sure to compare weights. I've read an article where an '01 Sentra 2.0 cut a full second off it's 1/4 mile time, just by removing the 20" chromies it had on and putting a set of 15" stockers. Keep in mind that he was also going from sport tyres to all-seasons, and it still made a dramatic difference. I think, if you want to upgrade your wheels, go no larger than a lightweight 17" with some good tyres, that will improve your handling and looks without damaging your straight-line and ride.

 

Here you go man check this thread out this guy has the same car as you diffent color and is selling everything get some stuff cheap

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/parts-66/fs-cobalt-many-parts-76107/

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/parts-66/fs-cobalt-many-parts-76106/

 

Spark plugs FTW
Serious though, upgrade your plugs. The stockers will be crud within a year running 87 octane gas.

 

I have the similar vehicle to yours. Check out my VBGarage and that may give you some ideas to do. If you have any questions let me know.

I would suggest an intake or the mod. remove the silencer, get an exhaust. since you have an 07, your Exhaust manifold is good, but see about getting a DP either from an LSJ or aftermarket.


Welcome to the addiction!

 

I like the intake and cat-back ideas. They look like things I can install myself.

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...P1379C146.aspx
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...P1653C137.aspx

Should my stock exhaust tip fit the cat-back? How will this effect emissions?

 

cat back work effect emissions i dont believe and intakes are pretty simple to install there is a HOW TO DO IT on here and goes step by step for you info

 

No the stock tip will not fit. The LS exhaust is 1.9" diameter. The GMPP exhaust is 2.25". And yes, I did measure the stock exhaust, I was hoping the same thing.

A catback exhaust should not effect emmisions, it just makes the car sound better.

 

Yeah, I didn't expect that the stock tip would fit. So I'll add an exhaust tip to that list.

Will this cat-back fit the LS then? (i.e. are they the same diameter on the other end?)

 

yep itll fit just fine

 

Does it require any welding at all or does it just bolt into place?

 

nope no welding just bolts right up, or so ive heard im about to get an exhaust on my ss/sc the gmpp performance

 

The mounting point after the stock CAT converter are all the same size on all cobalts, LS, LT, LTZ, SS, SS/SC.

 

well ok heres what i would do,
get a used SS exhaust manifold and downpipe $100ish
have a cat back made at a shop with what ever muffler you want $no more then 300
GMPP intake $300
and if you got the contential tires, better tires

 

you want my ss header for $35? I will sell it to you right now. need to get rid of it.